Mobile Computing Tips: Take a PDA Instead of a Notebook

Feature: Traveling With a PDA Instead of a Notebook

Business travel shouldn't automatically result in a side trip to the chiropractor. Instead of dragging along a clavicle-crunching, spine-misaligning, 5-to-10-pound notebook computer with all its bulky accoutrements, consider this: With a PDA, you can travel light and still be productive.

You can't do everything on a PDA that you can on a notebook, of course--forget about opening multiple Excel or Word files at once, for instance. And a handheld screen is nowhere near as big as a notebook display, making PDAs impractical for long work sessions. Nonetheless, a properly equipped Palm device or Pocket PC can handle many of the same jobs as a notebook, from checking e-mail to editing Word files to crunching Excel spreadsheets--at a fraction of the bulk and weight.

The following is a guide to PDA tools that can set you free from the Herculean task of traveling with a notebook. In next week's newsletter, I'll provide tips and resources for taking a business trip without packing--gasp--any gadgets whatsoever.

Productivity Applications

Pocket PCs and most Palm PDAs ship with applications that handle common word processing, spreadsheet, and other tasks but aren't as full-featured as their Windows OS counterparts. With either platform, you can download important files to the handheld, edit files on the road, and upload them to your Windows machine upon return.

Pocket PCs have an edge here over Palm OS devices by including pocket editions of Microsoft Word and Excel that look and feel like the Windows versions. Using those programs on a Pocket PC seems instantly familiar for Microsoft Office users (which means just about anyone with a computer and a job).

For Palm OS devices, DataViz's Documents To Go 4.0 Professional Edition is the best overall Office-style application suite I've used. Documents To Go lets you easily exchange Word and Excel files between Palm PDAs and Windows computers. You can view, but not edit, PowerPoint slide shows as well (more on that in a second). Documents To Go apps don't have as many tools as Microsoft's Pocket PC programs; you can do word counts and zoom into documents in Pocket Word, for instance, but not in Documents To Go. Still, it's an essential productivity tool for business users with Palms. Documents To Go 4.0 Professional Edition ships standard with all current Palm models except the M105 and is available online for a free trial or $69.95 purchase.

And now a heads-up for PowerPoint junkies: Neither Pocket PC nor Palm OS devices come with an application that lets you create, edit, and view PowerPoint files. As I just mentioned, Documents To Go Professional Edition for Palm OS devices includes a utility that lets you open and view PowerPoint files, but not edit them. Pocket PC 2002 devices lack pocket versions of PowerPoint entirely. But there is a third-party program that can help: Conduits' Pocket Slides lets you create, edit, and view PowerPoint files. It's available online for a free trial or as a $39.95 purchase.

Internet Access

Most likely you'll need to keep up with your messages while you're on the road, and the majority of PDAs now ship with e-mail utilities. Pocket PCs come with Inbox, for instance, a mini-me edition of Outlook e-mail, while most Palm devices include a version of MultiMail. (MultiMail was originally released by Actual Software, which Palm acquired in 2000.)

You've got several options for getting e-mail on a handheld: a PDA equipped with a wireless modem and wireless service; a PDA with built-in wireless connectivity, such as the Palm I705 or the BlackBerry two-way pager; a mobile phone connected via cable to your handheld; or a PDA equipped with a dial-up modem and a landline connection. This topic alone could fill an entire newsletter, and I'll be exploring these options in more detail in future issues.

For now, though, a couple of points are worth making. First, each of these options lets you surf the Internet as well as check e-mail, to varying degrees. But surfing the Web with a handheld can be like driving cross-country in a Pinto with a cracked windshield--painfully slow and monumentally irritating.

Second, keep in mind that wireless modems and PDAs, coupled with wireless network service, are the most convenient way to go online--as long as there's service in your area. Wireless access is also the most expensive option. For instance, the Novatel M500 wireless modem for Palm M500 devices lists for $369, and unlimited wireless Internet service plans typically cost $35 to $40 a month. Some wireless providers such as EarthLink offer discounts on wireless modems when you sign up for their service, however--the Novatel modem goes for $269 when you subscribe to EarthLink's wireless Internet service ($33 a month with an annual prepaid plan) for Palm M500 models.

External Keyboards

Tapping keys on an on-screen PDA keyboard or using the Palm's Graffiti handwriting recognition is okay for making quick notes, but truly abominable if you've trying to write a report or memo. I've tried a number of external PDA keyboards, and my favorites are the Targus Stowaway, a full-size, foldable keyboard that feels almost as comfortable as a desktop version, and the new Logitech KeyCase, the cooler-than-cool cloth keyboard that also serves as a protective Palm case. The Stowaway is available for select Compaq, Handspring, Hewlett-Packard, Palm, and Sony PDAs for less than $100; get the latest prices from PC World's Product Finder.

Look for a review of the $99.95 KeyCase in an upcoming newsletter. In the meantime, you can read more about it in "Logitech Shows Cloth Keyboard for PDAs," and check out current prices on PC World's Product Finder.

Acrobat Reader

Today many complex documents that contain graphics and charts are distributed as PDF files because this format compresses documents while retaining their formatting and fonts. Viewing PDF files requires the Acrobat Reader, and Adobe Systems (maker of Acrobat software) has developed Pocket PC and Palm OS versions of this program. But beware: Graphics-heavy PDF files are a challenge to read on tiny handheld screens. Free downloads are available from Adobe.

Backup Storage

You back up regularly at the office, don't you? So why not back up your important files on the road? You can accessorize most current Pocket PC and Palm OS devices with a storage card such as Compact Flash. The type of cards you can use depends on the PDA. An HP Jornada Pocket PC lets you store files on Compact Flash cards, for instance, while a Sony Clie Palm OS device uses Sony's proprietary Memory Stick. Keep in mind, however, that the use of storage cards sucks up battery power.